India Travel Blog

Tiger Tourism in India

Wildlife tourism is one of the fastest growing Industry in India and all over the World. As science progresses and awareness about our vital eco-systems spreads wildlife and nature become front line words. Thanks to electronic media there is now a wide spread awareness about the natural World and its wild inhabitants.

The endangered tiger is one of the keystone species of Indian jungles and is a tertiary carnivore in the food chain. Being the apex or the indicator species its presence fore tells the health of forest ecosystems where it inhabits. In most parts of the World where tiger was found it is severely endangered and in places extinct.  

For the tiger there is a thin line dividing survival and extinction in current scenario as natural wealth in plundered and deforestation, poaching and mining take upper hand due to human greed and apathy.

Barely two thousand or less Bengal tigers survive in India and most of them in tiger reserves and National Parks. The tigers outside these protected areas are severely stressed and may not survive for long. The curiosity about this big cat is phenomenal especially the white tiger is much a subject of discussion along with mystic and myths associated with it. The great carnivore now makes its last stand in India and obviously there is a great rush of nature lovers, tourists and wildlife photographers who wish to sight this magnificent cat.   

Most of the tiger safari in India takes place in tiger reserves as there are greater number of tigers and other animals present here. The reserves have excellent tourism infrastructure and the best places to see tiger are Kanha National Park in MP, Pench National Park and Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India.  Other places to see tigers in the wild are Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttranchal and Periyar in Kerala State in India.

The tiger safaris are very well organized in National Parks or Tiger Reserve and there is a good chance to see the tiger here. These places are excellent birding destinations and hold lots of mammalian species as well as hordes of insects and reptiles in India. Among the major mammals are the Bengal tiger, leopard, gaur, wild dog, barasingha or swamp Deer, sambar deer and the spotted deer which constitutes the main prey base of the tigers.  

Most of the tiger safaris are organized on jeeps which traverse through the jungle roads and offer exciting view of the forests and tigers and wild animals which are met during the exploration. There parks which offer elephant safaris in India for wildlife watching. Tiger shows are short duration elephant rides which ferry a tourist from his jeep to the spot where the tiger has been previously cordoned and back. Exploration on foot is usually not permitted in tiger reserves as the carnivores can prove a threat to life in case of a sudden encounter in the wilderness.  

Best season for tiger safari is between October to May. Since the June monsoon rains arrive making it difficult to drive through the parks. However the parks close on 31st June onwards.

Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench are reachable from Jabalpur while Ranthambhore is near Jaipur and Corbett can be reached from New Delhi.  

Tiger Tourism at Pench

The dead sambar lay rotting inside the core zone of the park. Careful inspection did not reveal any incision or wounds inflicted by the big cats. Obviously the deer had died of a natural cause. But what surprised me was the carcase which was untouched by the big cats as well as the opportunistic hunters like jackal, hyena or wild dogs.   

The first question that came to my mind was how come the predators had not reached the dead animal yet? Are they thriving in sufficient numbers? My doubts were cleared by the hotel manager at Pench.

"No sir its just an instance, the predators thrive well in this nature preserve", he answered my question with utmost sincerity.    

Well very soon I saw a tigress with four cubs, wild dogs but not the Indian Wolf. The latter inhabits the periphery which comprises of scrub and open area ideal for this endangered canid.   The tiger sighting was a unique experience and my first at Pench Tiger Reserve. 

The tigers in Pench are easily seen on jeep safaris and elephant rides. There are many guides available for game drives in the park, some are expert tiger trekkers.  

The park lies in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra border in India about two hundred km from Jabalpur. Earlier known as Seoni Hills the area is also called Kipling Country since the Jungle Book is based upon the folklore of these forests.

The Pench jungles are mixed deciduous type with large number of fruiting trees. The habitat is home to Central Indian mammals, birds and reptiles. The floral richness is  evident on very first visit. The preserve is much visited by tourists on tiger safari and birders.

Animals seen on wildlife safari are tiger, leopard, sloth bear, bison, spotted deer, barking  deer, langur, wild boar, wild dog or dhole. sambar, rhesus macaque, Indian wolf etc.

There are a large number of birds to be seen and Pench promises to be a leading birding destination in Madhya Pradesh. Much survey has to be done in order to checklist birds of Pench.  Professional birding guides are available for bird watching at the Pench Resorts. 

The park can be reached from Nagpur airport which is about 80 km. Pench is about 200 km from Jabalpur airport and rail head. The accommodations are based Turia since most of the Pench hotels are situated here. At Karmajhiri, forest rest house and dormitory are available for a stay with prior reservation from the DFO office in Seoni.    

The visiting season is from !6th October to June 31st whence the reserve is open. Those wishing to avoid heat should visit in the winters which extend up to February.  

Jabalpur Hub of Tourism

Though the city does not lack tourist place it is mainly seen as a transit point. The destination sits at the fulcrum of major tiger reserves and hill resorts in Madhya Pradesh.

The tiger reserves Kanha, Bandhvgarh, Pench and Satpura are almost equidistant from Jabalpur.  So is the famous Pachmarhi Hill Resort and WLS.  Satpura National Park is about two hours from Pachmarhi while Bori Wildlife Sanctuary is nearer. 

Another place of interest is the Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve. Amarkantak is the source of Holy River Narmada and is a major pilgirmage destination for the Hindus.

Another place of interest is the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary which is home to tigers and exciting bird species. Indian Wolf is seen here besides Chinakara and Indian Fox.

For reaching these places on needs to arrive at Jabalpur from here one can drive down. Jabalpur is connected to a number of trains with Capital City New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkutta. All the trains are overnight and need advance reservation.  There is a flight service to Jabalpur from New Delhi and Mumbai.

 Another way to reach these destination is using the local bus service but these are very uncomfortable. One can avail luxury bus service only for the Pench Tiger Reserve which is closer to Nagpur

 Since the rail connectivity is not present taxi is the only way you can reach here. There many travel agents that offer car rental in Jabalpur for the tourists. From here one can drive down to all the places mentioned above. One can also visit the famous Khajuraho Temples from Bandhavgarh onwards. 

One need to remeber that all travel services are booked in advance during holidays and festivals. Hence one should book in advance during Diwali, Xmas, New Year and Holi. The National Parks open on 16th October and close by 31 June. Evening safari on each Wednesday is not available.